THE long and troubled history of Belfast and its hinterland is epitomised by the way in which adjoining streets have been at the centre of two of the city’s most disturbing periods of upheaval, taking place more than one hundred years apart.

As the savage stabbing in Kinnaird Avenue last Monday, when Stephen Ogilvie horrendously suffered the loss of one eye and damage to the other, while also receiving serious injuries to his neck and back, is before the courts, only the basic details can be discussed at this stage.

A Sudanese asylum seeker, Hadi Alodid (30), was remanded in custody by a magistrate last Wednesday after he was accused of offences including attempted murder and possession of a knife in a public place.

The charges were linked to a highly publicised incident which was videoed and circulated on social media, before intense and coordinated violence against police and minority groups across Belfast and beyond followed, making international headlines.

Sophie Clarke: The trouble with tourists playing tour guide in Belfast

A striking demonstration of Belfast’s true céad míle fáilte - The Irish News view

All this put a firm spotlight on racist attitudes in the city, and across the north, which have increasingly surfaced over recent years, and in many ways it is........

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